ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spring — a coil
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — for digging
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. key — in music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com